Many recreational poker players never consider that they could learn how to win at poker tournaments. So often, when watching the big names play high-profile online poker tournaments, it’s easy to assume that such success is reserved only for the poker gods. The truth is that the pros don’t rely on their wits and skill alone. They approach each one with a well-thought-out poker tournament strategy.

And, with a bit of dedication, study and practice, you could join the ranks of these tournament-winning giants. To get you started on your journey to playing tournament poker, you need to know how to play in poker tournaments. Here are some top tips that will teach you how to win poker tournaments and help you put together the best poker tournament strategy to suit your budget and style. 

Why Have a Tournament Strategy?

In a poker tournament, whether it’s online or offline, you have very little control over how the game is played. The organizers choose your seating arrangement and schedule (including breaks), and you have to play until you win or are eliminated, which can take up to a week, playing ten hours a day.

A good tournament poker strategy takes all of this into consideration but also focuses a player on the right tactical approach. Here are some top poker tournament tips to help build a winning strategy. 

Pick Your Format

Choosing a tournament format that suits you is important as it will directly impact your strategy. The most popular formats are as follows.

1. Freezeout Tournaments

Players are eliminated from the tournament once they lose all their chips. No re-buys or add-ons are allowed.

2. Re-Buy Tournaments

Players can buy more chips during a designated re-buy period. After the re-buy period is over, the tournament continues as a freezeout tournament.

3. Shootout Tournaments

Players are divided into smaller tables and the winner of each table advances to the next round. This continues until there is one final table and the winner of that table is declared the overall winner.

4. Sit-and-Go Tournaments

A predetermined number of players (usually 6–9) participate in a tournament that starts as soon as all seats are filled.

5. Satellites

Players compete for a chance to win a seat in a larger, more prestigious tournament. Winners of satellite tournaments receive entry into the larger tournament instead of cash prizes.

6. Bounty

A bounty tournament rewards players with a cash prize for eliminating their opponents. The prize is usually a portion of the eliminated player’s buy-in and is awarded to the player who made the elimination.

Choosing the right tournament format can make a huge difference to your odds of winning and what strategy to employ. 

Gameplay Tactics

Many online casino games have tactics that you can use to help you improve your win rate. Here are a few gameplay tips to help you go deep into a poker tournament. 

Adopt a Tight Strategy in the Early Stages of a Tournament To Survive the Later Stages

Tournaments are a battle of attrition, where your goal is to last until you’re in the money (the positions where you will leave the tournament with some prize money). This is why you don’t want to play unnecessarily aggressively in the game’s early stages, as you could risk going bust. And if the tournament doesn’t have re-buys, you’re done.

This is why you should adopt a tight strategy and exploit the weaker players you’re up against, building up your stacks so that you have a better chance of making it into the later stages of the tournament, where there’s actual money to win.

Raise Small and Raise Often

If you’re the first to enter the pot, there’s little reason to limp in, as raising gives you the chance to win the blinds and antes without risk. 

You can achieve the same result with a small raise without having to risk more than necessary. Tournament pros usually make raises of between 2x and 2.2x the big blind. 

By frequently raising small in late positions, you can pick up some pots and play other pots in position against big blind defenders. Being in position gives you the upper hand and if you play later streets well, you can collect even more chips.

Defend the Big Blind

A good tactic is to defend the big blind (BB). You want to avoid folding the BB, especially when facing a single raise from later positions. 

Most players tend to make small raises, so it makes sense to defend numerous hands, as the big blind receives great pot odds to call. 

By dividing your defending range between calls and 3-bets, you increase your chances of either winning the pot preflop or realizing your equity on later streets. 

Nowadays, many players defend almost all their hands in the big blind against a button raise, but it’s still acceptable to fold the weakest hands. Don’t be foolhardy. 

Steal the BBs in the Later Stages

An aggressive stance in later stages is a good idea, and you should consistently look to steal BBs. 

The big blind typically has favorable odds to defend with any two cards, but less experienced players tend to fold too often in these situations. As a result, you should be heavily stealing from later positions.

By utilizing a small bet size while your opponents don’t defend enough, you can make money effortlessly by opening with any two cards from the button. 

So, when antes are in play, it’s vital to steal aggressively, not just from the button but also from other late positions. Just don’t get aggressive too early. 

Check-Raise To Catch Your Opponents Off-Guard

A check-raise is an effective strategy to lull other players into a false sense of security when you have a strong or nut hand. Other players in your game will interpret your initial check as insecurity and bet. Once it’s your turn again, you raise, having successfully grown the pot and put yourself in a better position to claim another player’s chips. It will also put other players on the defensive, giving you an opportunity to win even if you don’t have a nut hand. When used in this manner, it can be considered a type of semi-bluff.

Think Ahead

You don’t play chess one move at a time, so don’t do it in poker. 

For instance, every time you make a continuation bet on the flop, you should consider the potential consequences of that bet. What will your response be if your opponent raises? Which turn cards would be ideal for betting? Should you opt for pot control by checking the turn?

All these questions should be addressed before you place your initial chips into the pot. The best tournament players worldwide plan their river bluffs right from the flop. 

Be Ruthless at the Bubble

In poker, the bubble marks the point in a tournament where the next player eliminated will be the last to receive no cash prize. For instance, if there are 100 places that pay out in a poker tournament and 101 players remain, you’ve arrived at the bubble. 

Your approach to the bubble stage of a poker tournament will largely depend on your stack size, and you should adjust your strategy accordingly.

If you possess a large stack, you should play aggressively and go for the jugular.

If you have a small stack, you should narrow your opening and calling ranges to preserve your chips because they hold greater value than the chips you might win on the bubble, particularly when playing as the short stack. Winning chips at this stage doesn’t guarantee you a victory, but losing chips can cost you the tournament.

Once the bubble bursts, you can play more loosely as you’re assured of a cash prize.

Hone Your Skills With Heads-Up Play

Poker tournaments usually have a massive player pool, sometimes with hundreds or even thousands of participants. This can be daunting for a relatively novice tournament player. A good way to practice your tournament game and win extra chips is to go head-to-head with other individuals in heads-up games (when there are only two players left at the table). Here’s why: 

Expose Your Weaknesses

Unlike when there are three or more players remaining, you can’t rely on other players to eliminate your opponents. Playing heads-up exposes all your weaknesses, which both affects your earnings and shows you where to improve.

Prepare for the Big Game

Heads-up games are a really great way to prepare for the final stage of a tournament, where there’s a lot more at stake against single opponents.

Earn More

The world’s top tournament players have devoted countless hours to refining their heads-up skills because of the opportunity to earn bigger. Earnings from heads-up games are significantly higher than other formats as the difference in payout between 1st and 2nd is often massive. 

Get To Know the Independent Chip Model (ICM)

As you reach the later stages of a tournament, you may find yourself having to defend a smaller stack. However, it’s important to understand exactly how much your stack is actually worth. Unlike in cash games, where there is a 1:1 ratio between your stack and BB, that ratio can change. 

The independent chip model (ICM) calculates the relationship between chip stacks and their corresponding monetary value. This is really important when pay jumps are on the horizon, and smaller stacks are still in play.

In situations where the difference between a player’s stack and the smaller stacks is significant, it may be necessary to make tight folds and avoid busting out before them.

This approach is similar to the logic behind bullying opponents as the big stack when smaller-stack players are more likely to fold in order to avoid elimination before the next pay jump.

Get Your Tournament Game On at Borgata Online

Now that you’re a little more equipped to take on the poker pros, register to start playing online poker tournaments at Borgata Online. Find free rolls, seasonal tournaments and more to start winning real money. Unsure how to play online poker? Get started with the beginner’s guide, which will teach you the basics and improve your online poker tournament strategy so you can win poker online.

But that’s not all you get when you sign up with Borgata Online. A Borgata Online account gives you access to an incredible world of online gambling, including online slots, variety games, casino table games, bingo, and even sports betting.

Unlock all this gambling fun and excitement at Borgata Online.